A digest of events, trends, issues, ideas and journalism from and about rural America, by the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, based at the University of Kentucky.
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Friday, December 22, 2017

Ohio grain handler pleads not guilty to stealing $3.5 million from farmers

Monroeville (Wikipedia map)

A northern Ohio grain handler pleaded not guilty Dec. 20 to 41 charges of keeping about $3.5 million in farmers' profits from grain sales, Cary Ashby reports for the Norwalk Reflector. Richard Schwan, 78, of Monroeville, was indicted Nov. 17 by a Huron County grand jury on:

• Seven counts of aggravated theft, all first-degree felonies
• Six counts of grand theft, all fourth-degree felonies
• Six counts of theft from the elderly, all third-degree felonies
• Nine counts of falsification in a theft offense, all third-degree felonies
• Three counts of insolvent handler not to accept deposits, all fourth-degree felonies
• One count of delayed price agreement, a fifth-degree felony
and nine counts of falsification, all first-degree misdemeanors.

Schwan, doing business as Schwan Grain Inc., is accused of keeping $3.5 million from grain sales made for 35 farmers. He also allegedly filed financial reports and documents with the state Department of of Agriculture that "falsely reported and concealed his liabilities and the monies which he
owed to farmers after he reportedly sold their grain and kept the
proceeds," Ashby reports. Schwan was released on bail and is scheduled for trial April 24.

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This blog generally follows traditional journalistic standards. It's not about opinions, though you may read one here occasionally. It's about facts that we think will be useful to rural journalists, non-rural journalists who do rural stories, and others interested in rural issues. We don't try to be provocative, so we don't generate as many comments as most blogs with the level of traffic we have, but we certainly invite comments -- and contributions, to al.cross@uky.edu. Feel free to republish blog items, with credit to us and the original source.